Shameless Fan Theories
- 11,836 VOTES
Frank Is Actually Really Smart Underneath His Addiction
Photo: ShowtimeAnyone who's watched Shameless knows that Frank is well spoken. He also miraculously pulls of the most insane, ridiculous schemes without getting in any trouble. These street smarts don't just come out of nowhere. As Reddit user s3hunnagbeTYBG points out, Frank is actually really smart. In fact, the show mentioned that he made it to his junior year in college. He even knows how to play piano and Lip calls him a "genius" during his college appeal.
The fan theory states that Frank is just like Lip. He had a tough upbringing but was actually on a really good path. When he met Monica, he developed alcoholism and started abusing drugs. That's when he dropped out of college and became the Frank that we know.
- 21,595 VOTES
Fiona Has An Undiagnosed Sex Addiction
Photo: ShowtimeFiona is the one Gallagher who's supposed to have it together, yet she consistently finds herself in trouble because of her relationships. This is because Fiona is addicted to sex. Her family is already prone to addiction because of Monica and Frank's alcoholism and substance abuse, and Fiona seemingly never turns down sex. Fiona even explores this topic with Robbie, who says she's just as prone to addiction as her father.
At first it seems like she's addicted to sex, but she decides she's actually addicted to "self-destruction." Surely, though, most of her self-destruction is revolved around reckless decisions made while chasing men. For instance, that time her three-year-old brother almost overdosed on cocaine was deeply wrapped up in her risqué relationship with Robbie.
- 31,627 VOTES
Debbie Isn't Frank's Biological Child
Photo: ShowtimeAccording to one Reddit fan theory, Debbie may not actually be Frank's child. Her father is Frank's brother, Clayton Gallagher. The evidence? Lip and Ian were the only Gallagher children who took a paternity test. Ian found out he was not Frank's biological child. Instead, he was a product of Monica's 1995 affair with Frank's brother, Clayton.
Both Debbie and Ian bear a striking resemblance and are the only red-headed Gallaghers. The theory alleges that Monica never ended her affair and had Debbie years later.
- 41,611 VOTES
Carl Isn't Frank's Biological Child
Photo: ShowtimeThis fan theory suggests that Carl isn't actually fully a Gallagher. In the first season, Liam took a paternity test because no one believed that Frank could be the father of an African American child. It turned out that Liam was fully Frank and Monica's biological kid and that he was Black because Nana Gallagher had had an affair with a Black saxophone player. All of the Gallaghers are part Black - except Carl.
Carl took a blood test when he was joining the army because he thought he had African American ancestors. The blood test came back as Native American rather than African American. If Carl doesn't have African American blood but Frank does, could Carl really be Frank's son?
- 51,018 VOTES
Svetlana Saved The Bar In Attempt To Save Her Relationship With Kev And V
Photo: ShowtimeSvetlana, Kev and V have been a throuple for a while, but Kev and V had their doubts. A fan theory from Reddit user RLennon72 points out that Svetlana saved the bar in order to sort of force the couple to stay with her. Basically, she did it out of a twisted form of love.
Svetlana already does all the taxes for the bar. She watches Kev and V almost lose the Alibi and so she goes behind their back to save it. It seems like a dirty move to put the deed in her own name, but she never acts like it's solely her bar. She continues to act like it's a team effort. When V confronts her about getting the bar back, she says something like "and we'll be a throuple again," but V declines. It appears she was hoping that if she got the bar back, they'd all be together again.
- 6632 VOTES
Fiona's New Tenant Is Using Her Complex To Mine Cryptocurrency
Photo: ShowtimeFiona's new tenant, Bahir, mentions that he uses "100 amps of power on his own," and works 70 hours a week. Reddit user timothyhiggins alleges in his own fan theory that Bahir doesn't actually live in the complex. Instead, he's using the new apartment's free electricity to mine bitcoin or another cryptocurrency.
According to timothyhiggins, mining cryptocurrency uses more electricity than the entire Republic of Ireland, and the electronics Bahir brought in the complex was possibly foreshadowing.
- 71,405 VOTES
Lip Will End Up Like His Father
Photo: ShowtimeLike father, like son. This Shameless fan theory alleges that Lip will turn out just like his father. So far, Lip's life has almost perfectly mirror Franks. He had a rough upbringing like Frank, whose father took him on his first heist when he was just six years old. Lip managed to rise up from that and attend college. Frank attended college until his junior year, when he met Monica.
Lip's college education was ruined in part by his affair with a teacher, which also caused him to start developing an addiction to alcohol. Lip doesn't want to end up like his dad and mentions this during his appeal to the College Board, but this theory suggests that Lip will continue on this path and end up like Frank.
- 81,065 VOTES
Frank Will Become A Good Father And Pass Away From Years Of Abuse To His Body
Photo: ShowtimeIt's undeniable that Monica's death hit Frank really hard. Some fans think that her death will change Frank for the better. The only way for Shameless to really feel complete as it's rounding out Season 8 is if the Gallaghers can move on with their lives and stop being sucked down into poverty and crime. It would seem like Frank is the single thing tying them down, but if he suddenly became a good father, it'd set them free.
Frank is supposed to get sober in Season 8, which is leading him on a path of redemption. Of course, Shameless has always been dark and twisted, and Frank has knocked on death's door numerous times throughout the series, but emerged unscathed. It would make sense that Frank can't survive being sober in the way he has miraculously survived all of the things that happened to him (including a back alley transplant) during his reckless addictions.
Emmy Rossum, who plays Fiona, said earlier this year,“The show, for me, has always ended with Frank dying, because I don’t think there’s any way you treat your body that way. We’ve seen him skirt death so many times... or maybe he’s just that cockroach that will never die.”
When Frank is no longer a cockroach, maybe he will actually die.
- 9607 VOTES
Fiona's New Tenant Bahir Is Going To Sink Her Real Estate Business
Photo: ShowtimeEvery time things go well for Fiona, she gets knocked back down to poverty. This Shameless fan theory from Reddit user danger_-_zone alleges that Fiona's new tenant Bahir is going to bankrupt her real estate business through a renting loophole. Bahir stated in passing that he uses "100 amps of power on his own" and works "70 hours a week." Fiona currently includes electricity along with the price of rent. Bahir is seen bringing electrical equipment in and out.
In an older building, using mass amounts of electricity can cause power outages. It's likely Fiona will either have to redo the wiring in the complex, which would be extremely costly, or go bankrupt paying for Bahir's expensive electricity habits because she can't dissolve his lease.
- 10614 VOTES
Fiona's New Complex Will Be Destroyed In A Fire
Photo: ShowtimeReddit user No_that_is_weird thinks it's totally possible that Fiona's new real estate venture will literally end up in flames. Since her new tenant Bahir seems to use massive amounts of electricity (and acts rather suspicious about it), the theory alleges that he's possibly hosting an illegal server farm in the household.
The mass amounts of electricity used in running this farm could trip too many breakers and set the home on fire. Fiona curiously missed an insurance payment last month, so a fire would be financially devastating.
- 11907 VOTES
Liam Is Actually The Son Of Frank's Sponsor
Photo: ShowtimeYes, Liam took a paternity test in the first season that showed he was Frank's son, but this fan theory alleges that the test was false. Most DNA paternity testing labs only perform DNA testing until it's a 99% probability of paternity. According to PTC Labs, that means one in every 100 men would match that same pattern of DNA. Though unlikely, that opens up the chance for a paternity test to be wrong.
During Season 1, Frank said that Liam looked a lot like his last sponsor and "he and the ex were close." The theory alleges that Monica slept with Frank's sponsor and Liam was the result.
- 121,544 VOTES
Fiona Was Molested By Frank As A Child
Photo: ShowtimeThroughout the series, Fiona rarely turns down sex. In fact, it seems like it is her crutch. One Reddit fan theory alleges that this is because Frank sexually abused her as a child and she's unable to have healthy sexual relationships because of it. User chuckxbronson points out that Terry Milkovich abuses Mandy regularly when he's drunk because he thinks Mandy is her mother. Frank is even more of a drunk and a drug addict than Milkovich.
Frank also has a rather bizarre sexual history with his daughters. He pretended to want sex from his daughter Sammy and has consistently been shown to have no morals and do anything it takes to steal family's money.
